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Kings take action, suspend Bartosak after domestic assault charges

The Los Angeles Kings have suspended goaltender Patrik Bartosak, without pay, following “12 domestic-related charges.” One of the charges Bartosak is facing is a felony for second-degree assault after Bartosak allegedly attempted to strangle his girlfriend Monday.

Los Angeles goaltending prospect Patrik Bartosak has been suspended without pay by the Kings as a result of charges stemming from an incident that allegedly occurred Monday.

Other charges include “simple assault,” and threatening charges, one of which alleges Bartosak told his girlfriend he was going to punch her in the face. The charges also allege Bartosak said he was going to “kill” his girlfriend and that he was going to “knock [her] out and put [her] to sleep.”

“We take this matter very seriously,” the statement reads. “Our response in this matter reflects our extreme disappointment, particularly given the programs we have instituted internally and the commitment our organization has made to educating our players on the prevention of domestic violence. This is the first step in an ongoing process as we continue to gather information related to this incident and monitor the legal proceedings.”

In 2014-15, Kings defenseman Slava Voynov was suspended by the NHL following domestic violence charges. Voynov later entered a plea of no contest and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, which culminated with Voynov leaving North America and returning to play in the KHL for Russian team SKA St. Petersburg.

“We neglected to educate our players,” Kings GM Dean Lombardi said in June, via the Orange County Register’s Rich Hammond. “We spend time teaching them systems, nutrition and everything else, but we missed a big step here, in terms of ensuring that they understand right and wrong.”

Bartosak has a Jan. 28, 2016 trial date set for the “assault, threatening and stalking misdemeanors,” and will have a hearing for the felony charge on Dec. 16, at which point a judge, “will hear evidence and decide if there is probable cause to bind Bartosak over to the Hillsborough County Superior Court North for possible indictment,” according to the Union Leader.

Bartosak was in Manchester on a conditioning stint following off-season surgery on his thumb, Rosen reported. He had played in 32 AHL games over the past two seasons, registering a 16-9-1 record, 2.17 goals-against average, .922 save percentage and three shutouts.